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Pakistan 'Blasphemy' Teacher In Hiding As Students Protest

Published 3 November 2012

A Pakistani teacher at the center of a blasphemy dispute has been forced into hiding after a furious mob stormed a girls' high school in the eastern city of Lahore. The mob was angry at a homework assignment that Arfa Iftikhar assigned that allegedly contained derogatory references to the Prophet Muhammad. Her school management denied all responsibility for the "dirty act" and called for her to be punished. The school said Iftikhar had been fired, despite telling the principal she had copied the offending passage by mistake. However, school headmaster Asim Farooqi has been remanded in custody for 14 days on charges of blasphemy, which can result in the death penalty. Blasphemy is an extremely sensitive issue in Pakistan, where 97 percent of the population is Muslim. (5 PHOTOS)

Students of Farooqi Girls' High School wave placards as they stage a protest in Lahore on November 3, demanding the reopening of their school after it was set on fire by an angry mob that alleged the school gave a test that insulted the Prophet Muhammad.

Students of Farooqi Girls' High School wave placards as they stage a protest in Lahore on November 3, demanding the reopening of their school after it was set on fire by an angry mob that alleged the school gave a test that insulted the Prophet Muhammad.